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Public inquiry to be held into botched police investigation of serial killer Pickton

Answers needed about possible mistakes made during the investigation: de Jong

Victoria, B.C. - There will be a full public inquiry into the botched police investigation of serial killer Robert Pickton, B.C. Attorney General Mike de Jong announced Thursday.

“It will be a full public inquiry conducted under the provision of the public inquiry act,” de Jong said.

“There are still lingering questions about the nature of the investigation, the question about whether more could have been done sooner. Are we in a position to learn from the investigation that took place and any mistakes that may have been made, and the government has taken the view that the best vehicle that that can be accomplished, if it can be accomplished, is by a public inquiry.”

A public inquiry, also known as a judicial inquiry, will allow an appointed commissioner — often a judge — to compel witnesses to testify under oath during public hearings.

The terms of reference, and the name of the commissioner, will be announced shortly, said de Jong. The attorney general said he hopes the commissioner will begin proceedings “a soon as possible.” He acknowledged the entire process is likely to cost millions of dollars.

The sister of a woman presumed killed at Pickton’s farm in Port Coquitlam applauded the announcement.

“Wow! Oh, that’s great news,” said Maggie de Vries, who has been calling for a public inquiry for years. Her sister, Sarah, disappeared in 1998 and her DNA was later recovered at Pickton’s farm.

“I’m very, very happy to hear that,” she said. “It’s a huge relief. They’ve been so resistant to committing.”

De Vries wrote to de Jong last fall urging him to call a public inquiry, but the government consistently refused to comment until all court proceedings were concluded.

“I started to feel more hopeful in the last two weeks that there was going to be something,” de Vries said. “I’m glad it’s a public inquiry. That means it will be hopefully open and we’ll be able to really see what comes out of it.”

Calls for an independent review have increased since Vancouver police Deputy Chief Doug LePard released a 408-page review of the case in late August. LePard’s report concluded that investigators had compelling evidence pointing to Pickton by August 1999 -- 21/2 years before his arrest.

Over that period, 14 women went missing and their DNA would later be found at Pickton’s farm in Port Coquitlam. Of those, Pickton was convicted of killing three, and charged with killing eight. Police recommended charges in the other three cases, though none was approved.

LePard has said an independent review could lead to significant and beneficial changes to policing in the province.

The Vancouver police issued a statement late Thursday afternoon saying it welcomes the inquiry. “There is significant public interest in an impartial examination of all the facts surrounding this tragedy,” the department said. “The families and loved ones of Pickton’s victims deserve to know why it took so long to arrest him.

“In addition, this is an opportunity to examine any systemic barriers to the most effective policing in the Lower Mainland and to look for solutions so that some good might come out of such sadness.”

Families of some of the victims have said they do not want the B.C. government to set the terms of reference for any investigation and want an independent and respected person to lead the inquiry. First Nations groups have said they want to participate, and families have said social and aboriginal agencies in Vancouver’s downtown ease side should also play a role.

De Jong said the public inquiry will consider LePard’s report, a review by the RCMP in 2002 and “any other information” necessary. He said he has not yet read the RCMP report, which has not been made public. However, he said he expects the RCMP and other police forces to co-operate fully with the public inquiry.

The government hopes the inquiry will recommend any structural, procedural or operational changes that might assist police investigations in the future, said de Jong. But he acknowledged that might be cold comfort for some of the families of victims who Pickton was never charged in connection with because government chose to stay their cases.

“There are questions and things that this will ultimately not, I suppose, address,” said de Jong.

“Charges were initially laid in other cases. Those charges have been stayed for some of those families. I expect there will still be a feeling of incompleteness. But perhaps there are things that we can learn from this.”

Opposition House Leader Mike Farnworth said it's the right decision and should lead to some answers about how the investigation went wrong.

“Nobody is looking for a witch hunt. People want to know what led to the failures, and what systemic changes are needed to make sure it doesn't happen again.”

He said the terms of reference should be as wide as possible, so that the inquiry can look at the marginalization of people like the sex trade workers who became Pickton's victims.

The Public Inquiry Act has been used twice in the past several years to commission high-profile probes into controversial cases — the Vancouver Police Department’s abandonment of a alcoholic street person, Frank Paul, in an alley, where he died, and the death of Robert Dziekanski at Vancouver International Airport while RCMP officers were apprehending him.

The act gives a designated commissioner wide latitude to compel witnesses, inspect documents and order disclosure of any information.